Worker Birds
by SoaringGryphonProductions
Summary: Heloise is a 'Mountain Hippogriff' living in Ponyville. She is the head of the Eagle Mountain Excavating and Hauling Company, and gets help from two griffons named Gabby and Gilda. These three are some of the best workers for hire, and they have tried and tested machines.
1. Chapter 1

**My Little Pony: Worker Birds**

 **Chapter 1: For Equestria**

Equestria is a land always building and expanding. For such projects, you need machines. The thing is most ponies are not willing to take on such a task of operating said machines. That work falls to special folk like me. My name is Heloise. I am a recent immigrant to Equestria from the Griffon Kingdom, and started up my own business.

I know what you might be thinking. If I am from the Griffon Kingdom, how come my name doesn't start with a 'G' like most griffons? Well, there is a subspecies of hippogriff that lives among the griffons. We are different from the Common Hippogriffs under the rule of Queen Novo. Our subspecies are known as Mountain Hippogriffs.

We are more griffon-like in appearance. For example, my front half and wings are of a Golden Saker and my back is that of a gold Gypsy Vanner. We have no manes, but we do have tails. We do not roar like lions either like griffons do. We use the calls of our respected avian halves. Now that everything is all settled down, please come with me.

I am head of the Eagle Mountain Excavation and Hauling Company. When you're with me be sure to have a hardhat on. Be smart and be safe. At my workplace, there is one shovel and two dump trucks. The one shovel is a 1962 Lima 1850 cable shovel, and the trucks are an 1983 Autocar AT64F and a 1987 Peterbilt 359 extended hood.

They are well aged, but I have taken such good care of them that they never grew old. Now my dump trucks are in need of some new drivers. It seemed I got a few in two griffons that seemed out of a job, and out of luck. I knew these two very well, and they go to show that there are good griffons in Equestria: Gabby and Gilda.

"Hey now, what happened?" I asked, seeing them sitting at the fountain in Ponyville,

"I was fired by the postal service for a letter I forgot to deliver," sniffled Gabby

"My Griffon-scone business went down the drain, so I'm outta work too," added Gilda,

"What if I can offer you ladies some work? It's going to be tough," I advised,

Gabby's eyes lit up like lights on a Hearth's Warming Eve tree, and hugged me and spun me around, and nuzzled her cheek against mine, "Yes-yes-yes-yes, I'll do it! I'll do it!" Gabby cheered, "oh thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you! You have no idea how much this means to us! Wait...so what kind of work are we talking about?"

I checked to see their licenses to make sure they are up to date before bringing them to my workshop, "If you liked toys as hatchlings, well...your toys are much bigger now," I said, and introduced them to the shovel and the two dump trucks, "now that you're here, I will teach you two how to operate the cable shovel, and drive these rigs,"

Cable shovels and dump trucks work as well together as vanilla ice cream and cola. With hardhats and safety vests on, we got to work. It did not take long for these birdies to get the hang of it. We started at the gravel mound, and in no time these girls were filling trucks with ease, "Whew, this is fun, I think we'll like it here," said Gilda,

I promised to myself to treat these girls as I would treat family. They make rookie mistakes like missing the dump box on the truck, or accidently bumping it with the bucket. Instead of yelling at them, I would tell Gabby or Gilda to move the bucket a little higher next time. They would smile and nod back. I feel like I can count on them.

"So when'll we get to work on a construction site?" asked Gabby as we took a break,

"In time," I replied, ruffling the top of her hardhat, earning a cute chuckle from her,

"Yeah, I can't wait to get these trucks and shovel some action," Gilda stated happily

Suddenly, the phone at my desk began to ring, "Hold on that for a moment," I said to the duo,

I picked up the phone and a stroke of luck, "Hello? Eagle Mountain Excavating and Hauling, this is Heloise speaking," I said as the phone greeting I had been working on, "you have a site we can work on? That's great!" I said, and turned to my two workers, "yes, we have two dump trucks and a 1962 Lima 1850 shovel, yes...she is in working order,"

"One other thing, could you bring an oversize trailer for the shovel? You can? That would be lovely, alright, we will be ready by seven tomorrow morning," I replied back, and was hung up by the fore-pony at a site of a new building going up in Baltimare. We will show there is no rust in the bucket of our shovel, and horsepower in our dump trucks.

I grinned back to my two workers whose eyes sparkled ready for the news, "We got a job," I said, and group-hugged and nuzzled cheeks with Gabby and Gilda. The next morning, Gabby and Gilda were on time as was the oversize trailer with a Peterbilt 379 extended hood pulling the trailer. The driver was a grey stallion named Long Haul.

"Nice to see an old cable shovel in such good shape," he said, inspecting the Lima 1850 from the tracks to the bucket, "c'mon, let's get you ladies to the site," he said, and the shovel was driven onto the trailer, and chained down for transport. Once everything was ready, we revved up the diesel engines and we were off to Baltimare and our first job.


	2. Chapter 2

**My Little Pony: Worker Birds**

 **Chapter 2: Working Together**

The rumble of the twin diesel engines of the shovel coming off the flatbed signaled our arrival to the site. A new apartment building was going to be going up here. Long Haul had two buddies on the job too, Rivet and Jackhammer. They seemed like likable stallions. There were other ponies on the job operating every machine needed on the site.

There were bulldozers and cranes, cement mixers and semi-trucks with dump trailers. The prides of the fore-ponies on the job were a Northwest 180D Series II and two semi-trucks pulling dump trailers. Gilda and Gabby's eyes sparkled at the site of all the giant machines, "Alright, girls, let's do this," I said to my two worker-griffons.

We put on yellow hardhats, orange safety vests, and heavy duty leather utility belts and got into our machines. I was at the helm of the Lima 1850, and moved her into place with the other shovels. The operators looked happy to see an old cable shovel with a lot of muscle left in her engines. I got my first customer within minutes of settling in.

The first truck was a Peterbilt 379 extended hood pulling a full frame, ox end dump trailer. With nine scoops from the bucket to the trailer, I filled it with ease, and made sure I didn't keep the other trucks waiting in line. The trucks kept the other shovels busy as well. There was a Kenworth W900L and International Eagle 9900I with dump trailers waiting.

"Way to work it, Big Bird!" cheered the driver stallion of the Peterbilt,

"Merci beaucoup, mon amie, I appreciate your service and the nickname," I replied via two-way radio,

"This is fun!" cheered Gabby, I had to clean out one of my 'wing-ears' from her voice,

"I'm glad you are happy, Gabby," I replied, it's hard to mad at a griffon like Gabby, it really is,

Even the orange, black, and white Northwest 180D Series II shows it is majestic in her age. Gabby and Gilda got the honor of having their dump trucks filled by the regal shovel. By noon, it was lunch time and there were a couple food trucks on the site for ponies and griffons. The cellar for the new apartment building was beginning to take shape

One of the food trucks served Indian cuisine, and I got myself some spinach paneer with a side of garlic naan. It was lamb korma for Gabby and butter chicken for Gilda. I sat with my two friends on the tracks of the mighty Lima cable shovel, and ate lunch. Our shift starts at around seven o'clock in the morning and ends at five in the afternoon.

Food just tastes better when you work for it. When the horn sounded, it was time to clean up and get back to work. With the help of a couple Liebherr PR-736 bulldozers, the ground was leveled out while the rocks and dirt were removed for reclamation needs. There are certain months out of the year when we come to work on the big building project.

The working months fall in the spring, summer and fall. Workers like us get to rest in the winter, and help with the winter wrap-up when the time comes around. It was out first day on the job, and the cellar was taking shape bit by bit and corner by corner. Every machine on the site has a job to do in order to see this new building reach for the sky.

"Good work today," said Rivet seeing a complete cellar dug out from the land,

"It seems we're not the only ones who still use the cable shovel," said Gabby happily,

"That Series II is our biggest shovel and our best shovel to boot," said Jackhammer,

"It does a lot of good to see these machines work, they are beautiful," I said looking at our Lima,

"Indeed they are," said Rivet, it was time to clean up for the day with a cellar now complete. It was now up to other machines to do their part from pouring out the cement for the foundation to laying support beams. I like the name 'Big Bird' as I am nicknamed. Trust me, I am strong but I am a big teddy bear around the little ones and my friends.

"Good work today from all of you, we are happy to have you and your equipment on the job," said Jackhammer, "I don't believe any of the hoopla ponies are spreading about Griffons and Hippogriffs not being good enough, you birdies proved yourselves today, I'll be honest Heloise, you're the biggest hippogriff I've ever seen, no offense,"

"Actually I take that as a compliment, I'm not called 'Big Bird' for nothing," I chuckled, we will be back to finish the work tomorrow morning. Working these jobs made me proud to be a Mountain Hippogriff, it is better than some griffons calling me 'pony-bird', 'thunder-flanks', or just plain 'fat'. I am not fat, I am very well muscled and curvy, thank you.

Female mountain hippogriffs are the size of Big Macintosh. The males on average are little bit bigger in height and are just as strong. So I am about the average size. We are big, rugged, and strong folk but also warm and welcoming. We speak two languages in the mountains of the Griffon Kingdom where we make our home: French and German.

"So...we'll be seeing you ladies on the job tomorrow?" asked Long Haul,

"You can count on us," said Gabby with a wink, and thumb talon up to the stallion,

Long Haul smiled, "I hope so, we need all the help we can get around here,"

I patted his shoulder, good thing my big talons didn't scratch him, "That is what we do,"


	3. Chapter 3

**My Little Pony: Worker Birds**

 **Chapter 3: Who You Are**

Happiness is not getting what you want, but enjoying what you already have. I am not the fastest flyer nor the strongest in lifting or pulling heavy loads but I am happy with what I am already blessed with. There are two things that make me the happiest, getting behind the wheel or controls of the shovel or truck and seeing Gabby and Gilda.

When you see the smiles on their beaks, you know they will do their best and they enjoy what they do on the site. Today, I was in one of the dump trucks for the shift and Gabby was at the controls of the shovel. Our dump trucks are recognizable by the copper brown truck bodies and the black dump boxes. Our mighty Lima 1850 is burgundy and black.

"Easy now, Gabby, gently," I said from the two way radio in the cab,

"No sweat, I got this," radioed back Gabby picking up a big scoop,

A clatter of dirt and rocks fell into the truck, "Good work, Gabby," I replied,

Gabby and Gilda are probably the happiest griffons I have ever met. Gabby is a do-it-all griffon with a can do attitude and never backs down from a challenge. When she needs help, she will ask for it. With Gilda, I see a great willingness to learn and fix the mistakes she has done in the past. She also brings hard work to the site and a little bit of sass.

With our machines, our job is called 'ground work'. It is our job to even out the surface so it is nice and flat. My friends and I dig cellars for buildings or trenches for pipes and shoulders for the roadways. Practically all forms of work on a construction site involve some form of digging. That is why you will see a shovel on almost every construction site.

"Keep it up, Gabby, keep it up Gilda," I radioed to my workers,

Gilda was coming in to get her dump truck filled, "Anyone getting hungry?"

"I'm getting there, but I'm sure we can all wait until lunch," I replied,

I live by the old saying: 'Don't hold off for tomorrow what can get done today'. With Gilda dumping the last dump truck full of dirt for the morning shift, it was time for lunch as the horn blew. There was always something new to look forward to at the food trucks just outside of the construction site. Today it was sushi and rice bowls for lunch.

It was karaage with rice and an unagi roll on the side for me. It was an unagi bowl with gyoza for Gabby, and a salmon teriyaki bowl with a California Roll on the side for Gilda. We eat well on our lunch break just like the ponies do. It's fun to sit around the machines and talk and have a laugh. I will never ever trade in the machines or my workers.

"Hey Heloise, could you work with the 180D this shift?" asked Long Haul,

"Sure, no problem," I said with a wink and grin to the stallion worker,

"Don't you worry, this Peterbilt is in good hooves," Long Haul assured me.

I climbed up the ladder, and into the cab of the cable shovel. It was time to see what a five cubic yard bucket can do. The engines rumbled to life, and the machine moved along on it's wide heavy tracks in the digging site of the cellar. I cast the bucket out, and pulled back to dig out a huge scoop of dirt and put it into a waiting dump truck.

In no time, the truck's dump box was filled with rocks and dirt. I tapped the load with the bucket to signal that the truck is good to go. Before a truck can leave the site, they have to go through the tire bath. This way rocks and dirt are cleaned off their tires which can damage cars on the roads. The number one concern on a construction site is safety.

"How's our shovel treatin' yah, Big Bird?" asked Rivet from a truck cab,

"Very well, but our diesel shovel might be a little jealous," I replied jokingly,

"I'm sure she won't mind, it's only the last half of the shift," said Rivet,

It is very kind of them to let us use their machines to help get the job done. It makes me feel great that everyone is treated fairly too. As I said earlier, I treat my workers as I would treat myself. It gave me an idea to help out Gretchen and Gabby since neither of them seem to have a place to live. I have two guest rooms upstairs in my house.

At the end of the shift, I went up to my two workers, "Come, fly with me," I asked of them, and took them home to my house in Ponyville. After showing them around my place, and led them upstairs to the two guest rooms, "you ladies can stay as long as you like, my house is your house," I said to them, I have always had a giving heart to the needy.

"Heloise, I...I don't know," Gabby said looking away from me in shame,

"You've done so much for us, we have nothing to give in return," said Gilda,

"You two have given me two great workers and two great friends," I replied,

Their eyes watered and on the verge of crying. They looked at me and grinned thankfully. I hugged them both in a hug. Gabby and Gilda nuzzled their cheeks to mine, "I could not ask for anything better," I said to them, and ruffled the soft feathers on the tops of their heads, "come now you two, it is late and you both need your rest for tomorrow,"


	4. Chapter 4

**My Little Pony: Worker Birds**

 **Chapter 4: Reach for the Skies**

With our work done and the cellar all ready, it was time for the building to take shape. We waited with our machines outside the worksite when the cranes and building machines came in. Two 1986 American 7260 crawler cranes came off the trailers. From one of the cabs came an operator, "Hi there ladies, Lattice Boom's the name,"

"Nice work you ladies did on the cellar," He complimented, with a nod of approval at our work

"Thank you, but we could not have done it without Rivet, Jackhammer, and Long Haul," I replied,

"Aww...shucks, weren't nothin'," said Rivet with a blushing smile, I nudged him lightly in the side,

"Well, we better get started," said Lattice Boom, he is a handsome and strong looking stallion, much like Big Macintosh in a way. Our job now was to remove all the dirt and rock we scooped up from the cellar and make way for the parking lot. Cement trucks and concrete pumpers were also being called in as the cranes were setting up.

"Wow, look at that," said Gabby in awe of the crane's height as it was going up

"I know, you'd think a giraffe would be jealous," joked Gilda, nudging Gabby lightly in the wing,

"Probably, but we have our own work to do today," I reminded them,

A pounding roar echoed off in the distance. The crane crews had just set up the piledriver, and it was doing it's work setting up the support structure for the building. Our shovels and trucks, with the help of graders, compacters and bulldozers, were removing the dirt and flattening out the surface so it is nice and solid for the pavers.

"Digging in the dirt! Digging in the dirt!" Gabby cheered,

"Nothing ever dampens your spirits, eh Gabby?" I radioed to her, I was back in the Lima 1850 shovel,

"I like to stay on the bright side of things," she said with a wink,

Lattice Boom seems like a nice fellow and seems to enjoy his work. He is as grey as slate with brown eyes and a black mane and tail like me minus the mane part. His cutie mark is two crossed crane booms, how appropriate. Some say it can never work. That hippogriffs, griffons and ponies can never be friends. We make it work everyday.

"So...what do you ladies do away from the site?" asked Rivet,

"Work out, hang out, that kind of stuff," Gilda replied as a scoop of dirt came from the Lima 1850,

"We like to swim, fly, and generally keep in shape," added Gabby,

As I filled each truck in line one by one, I was thinking about other equipment we will need around our headquarters. We were all set in the department of a shovel and dump trucks. There was an ad online about a 2000 Peterbilt 379 with a sleeper with headache rack and storage, a knuckle boom crane, 290 inch wheelbase and a good 600hp.

 _'That would be helpful in hauling the shovel around'_ I thought to myself,

The horn sounded the end of the shift, "Good work today, girls," I said ruffling Gilda and Gabby's heads,

"Every day is a good day," said Gabby as we packed up to head home for the day,

I wanted to keep the new rig a surprise for the ladies, _'Don't hold off for tomorrow what you can't do today,'_ I thought to myself with a grin, pulling out my phone from my leather belt and finalizing the purchase of the 2000 Peterbilt which also comes with an oversize load trailer. I thought the chrome around the windows is a nice touch.

I closed the phone just in time as Gabby peered over my wing, "Whatcha lookin at?"

"Just checking my email," I half-lied, I got the purchase conformation email right as I closed the browser,

"Ah...I was wondering if we can order a pizza when we get back?" Gabby asked,

"Sounds like a plan," I replied with a willing grin, and earning a unison 'yay!' from Gabby and Gilda. They are so cute when they are happy. I picked up the phone as the two of them went upstairs. I looked up a local pizza place and dialed, "Hello, I would like to place an order for delivery...I would like a large Manehatten style hoof-tossed,"

Gabby called down from the upstairs, "Can I have mushrooms please?" said Gabby,

"And bacon too," added Gilda, I nodded lightly seeing Gretchen peering from the corner upstairs,

"Okay, so we will have mushrooms, bacon, and can I add pesto and garlic," I said back on the phone,

The mare on the other line said it will be at our place in forty-five minutes, "Alright, I will see you then," I said and hung up the phone. I went up the stairs with a grin on my beak, and wrestled around with Gabby and Gilda in the guest room. It warmed my heart to see and hear them laugh and enjoy what they do on and away from the site.

There is one thing my claws are great at, and I give the best tickles, "Stop! Stop!" Gabby pleaded in laughter,

"Alright, enough is enough," I said, breathing heavily from all the fun and energy these two have,

"You're the best, Heloise," said Gilda, seeming to have enjoyed herself as much as Gabby did,

"And you two...are the sisters I never had in my life," I said booping each of them on the beak. I think they will like the surprise I have in store for them. The rig will arrive in a week with the lowboy trailer. For now, the one thing to look forward to is thin crust pizza. I am so glad to help them out. To me, Gabby and Gilda are family to me.


	5. Chapter 5

**My Little Pony: Worker Birds**

 **Chapter 5: Lending a Wing**

Our work on the new apartment buildings was done, and we celebrated last night over pizza and ginger ale. With our reputation for quality, we were getting more calls for our services. The rig and trailer were not arriving yet, so we had to rely on the kindness of the fore-ponies to borrow a truck and trailer to get our shovel to the work site.

Today we were going to Fillydelphia to work on a public housing project for homeless ponies and griffons and other species that are finding it hard to get by in an ever growing Equestria. Believe it or not, being a construction worker in Equestria pays very well at twenty bits an hour and health insurance. A police-pony gets twenty-five bits.

Money is money. The ponies that work here need it to feed their families, and pay the utilities. It feels good to see that wherever we go to work that our friends follow. There are bigger shovels and dump trucks that work in the open pit mines, but our Lima 1850 and Rivet's Northwest 180D Series II are the largest construction shovels in Equestria.

"Good to see you, mon amie," I said to Jackhammer, I consider him a good friend now,

"You too, Heloise, you and your buddies," he replied, resting on a sledgehammer,

"Ready to go to work?" I asked, turning to face the two griffon workers,

"Let's do this!" cheered Gabby, and she and Gilda put their hardhats and safety vests on and got to work. I did the same, and climbed into the cab of our mighty Lima shovel. The engines grumbled and roared to life puffing exhaust from her stacks. The area we worked in was fenced off with a chain link fence. Construction can be dangerous.

The day was filled with the sound of clambering metal as rocks and dirt were loaded into lines of dump trucks. The project called for a row of four houses. each house was to be two stories tall, and each level is to make room for one family of ponies with two little ones or two senior ponies. We had a cellar done by the time lunch had come around.

I heard a sound coming from the fence, and saw a young colt watching the construction. From his blue eyes to his adorable looks, I could not help but walk up to him and say hello. My size did not seem to scare him, "Well hello there," I said from the other side of the fence, "what brings a little one to the work site?" I asked the young colt curiously,

"Well...I heard new homes are being built," he said shyly,

"Yes, we are building new homes," I replied to the colt,

"I don't have a home," said the colt as he looked away,

He turned his eyes up at me, and looked away again, "My mother and I live in the shelter on the other side of town, and it is very crowded in there," he explained to me. Rivet has told me of the rising rent prices in the big cities, and how many ponies are kicked out of their homes because they cannot pay on time. It makes my heart very heavy.

I reached my talons through a link in the fence to ruffle the colt's brown mane, "Now don't you worry, we are building these homes just for you, and others just like you," I said kindly to the colt as a mother would to her hatchling. I soon heard Gabby and Gretchen walk up to my sides to see the colt, "my name is Heloise, this is Gabby and Gilda,"

"Nice to meet you, what's your name little stallion?" asked Gabby, if I could picture Gabby as anything else other than a mail delivery griffon, she would make a great teacher. With those cute, puffy cheeks and those friendly eyes, she would be a welcome sight in any classroom. But Gabby took my offer for work in my company, and is very happy.

"My name is Mint Chip," said the little colt, still rather shy around the three of us,

"Aww...what a nice name for a nice little colt," said Gilda

"Thank you, I think you three are very pretty," he complimented with a bashful smile,

My heart melted to his kind words. The little colt was a light pastel green in color with a light brown mane and tail. He had little splotches of dirt and dust, but his bright green eyes seemed to stand out. His mother soon found him at the fence, "Come now, Mint Chip, it's time for supper," said his mother, I see where he gets his handsome looks from.

Mint Chip waved a hoof to us as went on his way back to the shelter. There is working for the fore-pony on the site, and then there is working for those that said help. In these projects, it is the ponies and other homeless species that are the most important. The horn sounded, and it was back to work and to the machines to work on the project.

We put back on our hardhats. It was the first time anyone had ever called me 'pretty', and it came from a youngling. I believe he is going to be a good gentle-colt when he grows up. Lines of dump trucks came to haul away the dirt. It is really cool to see the dump trucks from different brands. I even saw a Mack Superliner with a dump trailer.

After work, I talked with Gabby and Gilda, "That is the first time anyone called me pretty,"

"Same here, it feels so warm and fuzzy, no other way to say it," replied Gabby,

Gilda took off her hardhat and looked off in the distance, "Here's hoping we see Mint Chip again,"


End file.
